Just in time for Halloween…Don’t just toss those pumpkin seeds. You should roast them! Pumpkins seeds along with other types of squash seeds (see below) make fantastic healthy little snacks. Enjoy!
The Halloween season reminds me of carving pumpkins with my brother, sister, best childhood friend, and her sister. My mom would direct us all to scoop out our pumpkin guts into the same, big bowl in the center of our kitchen worktable. That’s five pumpkins worth of guts!
As we all giddily went about planning our designs and carving our pumpkins, my mom would busily separate the slimy pulp from the seeds. Before we knew it, she’d have a couple baking sheets worth of salty, crunchy, roasted pumpkin seeds on the table for us to snack on while we continued to perfect our jack-o’-lanterns. They were a tasty and affordable way to feed our little crew.
Then, a couple years ago, I was preparing to make a quinoa mushroom stuffed acorn squash recipe. I had scooped out the guts of the squash and placed them in a small bowl. My husband had hungrily come along to inspect how dinner was progressing and helpfully toss the vegetable scraps from the counter into the compost bin. As he grabbed the bowl of squash guts, I said, “Whoa! Where are you going with those? Bring them back. I’m going to roast the seeds.” Perplexed, he shared that he’s only heard of roasted pumpkin seeds, not acorn squash seeds.
He was in for a treat! I popped the seeds into the oven and continued to prepare our meal. Within a few minutes, the seeds were golden brown! I tasted some, smiled, and offered them to my husband. Skeptically, he tried a few, but then reached for more…and more. “It’s hard to stop,” he said. “They’re so good!”
Roasting seeds is easy, so ‘tis the fall season, and try it! The next time you’re cooking with your favorite winter squash variety like butternut, spaghetti, or kabocha, for example, save the seeds. Roasted, they can be a nutritious snack eaten while preparing the rest of a meal, delicious appetizer for dinner guests, or a crunchy dish topper.
How to Roast Pumpkin and Squash Seeds:
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Cut the pumpkin or squash however you plan to use it. Using a spoon, scrape out the pulp and seeds into a bowl.
- Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp. Rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water, shake them dry, and then pat them with a towel to remove excess water.
- On a baking sheet, toss the seeds with a small amount of olive oil. Spread the seeds in a single layer, shake a bit of salt over them, and roast for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
- Remove the seeds from the oven and let them cool on the tray for a few minutes. Using a metal spatula, scrape the seeds off of the baking sheet and into a small bowl. Crunch away!
Written by: Alina Gorniak, a Graduate Student in Nutrition & Dietetics who interned with Sally this month.
